


12 Days to Winter Solstice

by musesmistress



Category: Legend of the Seeker
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-11
Updated: 2011-10-11
Packaged: 2017-10-24 12:41:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/263575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesmistress/pseuds/musesmistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are only 12 days to Solstice, what will Richard get?</p>
            </blockquote>





	12 Days to Winter Solstice

The first time Richard noticed something different was about a week into their trip back to Aydindril. Kahlan hadn’t been paying attention, and Richard had to reach out fast to stop her from making a misstep that would have had her falling off the edge of the path into a ditch. He’d grabbed her and pulled her around, her hand landing on his chest and he’d quickly brought the other off the sword’s hilt to her waist. She wasn’t wearing a corset.

“You okay?” he asked. Kahlan just frowned at him as if she should be asking that question. “You nearly put your foot in a ditch.” Kahlan’s eyes dropped to the edge of the path to see the hole and realisation passed over her face.

“Sorry, guess I was just lost in thought.” Richard just nodded and they moved on.

*

The second time something was off was the next evening. They’d had breakfast, but hadn’t stopped for a midday meal on their travels. By evening time, Richard was starving, so much so that he quickly grabbed the bread Cara was handing around and almost stuffed it in his mouth. Cara had screwed up her face is disgust, but Kahlan had gotten up and walked away.

“What about supper?” Zedd had called. Kahlan had stopped long enough to turn back and look at him with her blank expression.

“I’m not hungry,” was all she said. Then she was gone.

*

The next morning, after watching her tentatively pick at her breakfast, they passed through a village. Several of the people attempted to sway them into stay for the Winter Solstice, but Richard wanted to be in Aydindril, with Kahlan then, he wasn’t to ask her to marry him on that day. Instead of offering them food and places to stay without paying, the villagers had settled for giving the travellers horses to make their journey easier.

Several hours out, just before Zedd was – in Richards opinion – ready to start complaining for food, he turned back to check on Kahlan and was a little shocked to see her leaning awkwardly on the horse. Afraid she’d fall off, he turned back and approached quickly and almost fell off his own horse with what he saw. She’d fallen asleep. He added it to the list of strange things going on with her the last few days woke her gently and eased her off her horse to sit in front of him. She fell asleep, with her head resting back on his shoulder.

*

“She’s impossible,” Cara yelled as she broke through the trees back into camp and rounded on him. “You,” she said, stabbing a finger at his chest. “You can go take care of your own girlfriend, because she’s being impossible.”

“So you said.” He bit his tongue, but a little too late.

“You think is funny laughing boy?” she said, her tone turning more sarcastic than annoyed. “I told her you wanted me to keep an eye on her and that while I was there we could both bathe. Do you know what she did? She started shouting at me that she wasn’t a baby and she could take care of herself. I said fine, I’d just go sit in the tree line, she screamed at me that she was the Mother Confessor and if she wanted someone watching her back she’d invite the remaining of the D’haran squad to watch her bathe. I tried to talk her down, but she told me I was coddling her, threw her pack at me and stormed off.”

“What?” Richard was up fast and ignored the spinning of his head as Cara threw down Kahlan’s pack. He took off down the path to the hot springs trying to remember just when he’d first noticed Kahlan being this strange. He couldn’t think of anything except her lack of corset a few days ago, the fact that she was rarely hungry and always tired. Now he had a Confessor – the most powerful of all confessors, having mood swings. Things couldn’t get stranger.

*

Richard dropped down on the log beside Kahlan on their fifth day, leaned in to kiss her cheek then handed her a bunch of wildflowers he’d found. It was only a small bunch, but it was colourful and the aroma was powerful and glorious, the way he imagined she was before all this had started. She took them with a soft smile and “thank you” before bringing them up towards her face. Instantly she dropped her hands away again, and he watched the colour drain from her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Their powerful. The scent has just made me feel a little sick.” It wasn’t the first time he’d watched her go pale over the smell of something. That morning, Zedd had been baking something over the fire and she’d walked away looking as though she was going to be ill.

“What’s going on with you lately?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her and taking the flowers out her lap. He was vaguely aware that she still wasn’t wearing her corset.

She shrugged. “I guess now that we can finally relax, my body is doing just that.” She gave him a tentative smile and he caught the look of hope that crossed her eyes. She was hiding something.

“Okay,” he said, trying to sound as though he believed that excuse, he didn’t want to push her. He kissed her cheek again and got up. “Dinner’s almost ready, do you want me to save you some?” She nodded and he knew now she’d just eat because he’d made a point of it.

*

Travelling west along the dirt road towards Aydindril, still several days away, Richard kept Kahlan in front of him, afraid now that’s she’d fall asleep on her horse and fall off. Zedd and Cara were trading bits of food leftover from their lunch break about half a mile ahead of them, and every now and again one of them would laugh and look back over their shoulder at them.

Kahlan had tried to put on a brave face since yesterday when he’d asked what was wrong, she’d joked with them at evening meal and ate more than he’d seen her eat in the last few days. But now, he was watching closely as she slowed her horse once again to a casual walk. She was sat leaning forward slightly, her back slouching a little from the lack of corset he watched as she shifted her position. He was starting to get the idea that she was ill, something wrong with her stomach would be his best bet, the lack of food, the paling from smells and it would explain why her corset was no longer comfortable.

Before he could finish the though, Kahlan stopped her horse, swung her leg over and jumped down, she barely made it two steps away before she dropped to her knees and crouched over in the long grass. Richard was off his horse without stopping and at her side before he could blink.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling her hair back from her face. Ahead of them, Cara stopped her horse and turned it back in their direction.

“Can I have some water?” Kahlan asked. Richard nodded dumbly and got up to retrieve her water skin from her saddle. Back at her side, he let her lean against him as she took a few careful sips. “Felt like I was going to be sick.”

“I’m sure the horse is thankful you got off his back.” She gave a small laugh. “Come on, you can ride with me again.”

*

No corset, no appetite, always tired, smells make her sick, moving makes her sick, and mood swings. Richard counted them off on his fingers, trying hard to think of something that could account for all these problems. He was sat up in their camp, watching Cara pace around the perimeter they had created and wondering if he should start involving Zedd in his worry about Kahlan. She stirred beside him and let out a low painful moan.

“What?”

She shifted again before answering. “My back hurts.”

“You haven’t worn a corset for a week. You’re probably not used to riding like that.”

“We’re giving corsets when we’re twelve, so probably is an understatement.”

“Turn over,” he said, shifting off his bedroll and then moving it right up against hers. She rolled over with another painful moan and Richard kneeled on his bedroll next to her, turning so he could look up her back to her neck. He reached over and brushed her hair to one side before running his hands down her back. “Where’s the pain?”

“My lower back,” she said, somewhat muffled by her bedroll.

Teasingly, Richard pressed in at a spot that was just above her backside and grinned as he asked. “Here?”

“That’s not my back,” she said with a small laugh.

He shifted down a little. “Here?”

She laughed, but it quickly turned into a painful sob. Realising just how much discomfort she was in, Richard moved up to the dip of her back and pressed it. He didn’t need to ask the question, she gasped as he put just a little bit of pressure on her back.

He shifted, reaching down to adjust her white confessors dress before slipping one knee between her legs. He massaged the spot for a while, listening to the sounds of pain and relaxation she let out. Her muscles were tight and he worked to ease them so she could sleep easily. After several minutes, just as he thought she was falling asleep, Richard leaned over and placed a kiss on her neck.

“You know,” he said softly as she squirmed a little. “It’s been about a month since we made love.”

“I know,” she breathed.

“Maybe we can find a camp where we can be separated from the others again and you can let me do this without the dress.” Kahlan’s only reply was a soft hum as she slipped into a comfortable sleep. Richard didn’t stop, continuing to work the muscles for several more minutes before he moved to lie down next to her.

*

“Where is she now?” Cara asked shortly.

“Bathroom break,” Zedd offered.

“Again?” Cara said, then, as she bent to her pack added. “The amount of breaks she’s needed the last few days, she’s probably drowned all the bugs.”

Zedd stifled a laugh as Richard turned to look at them. Another thing to add to his list.

*

Four days away from Aydindril, Richard noticed the drop in temperature and was thankful that they were found a place to purchase skins to keep them warm. The nights were horrible, wrapped up in his fur throw and snuggled close to Kahlan, he thought he’d freeze and it would start at the tip of his nose. He shivered, turned and shifting closer to Kahlan, she had to be just as cold, if not more so.

“Don’t,” she said. “I’m too hot as it is.”

“Hot? How can you be hot, it’s cold enough to freeze water.”

“You have my cover if you want.”

*

Richard stopped in the tree line to watch as Kahlan checked over her shoulder to see what Zedd was doing. His back to her, she quickly pulled the ends of her dress strings out and hurriedly loosed them down the front. He took in the delicate curve of her body as she ran her hands down her stomach and sides to flatten the dress before she adjusted the ties a little more and tucked the ends back in at the top.

‘No appetite’, the words were there in his head and his brain flashed over every meal she’d turned away or given to Zedd to finish. How could she be gaining weight if she wasn’t eating?

*

Richard grinned as he followed her through the light dusting of snow to the hot springs. It would be their last chance to wash before reaching Aydindril the following evening. The day before Solstice. So far, since they’d left the camp, Kahlan hadn’t noticed he was following. When she’d left Cara had offered, rather reluctantly to follow her, but Richard had grinned and she’d walked away quickly.

Richard stopped several steps inside the tree line and watched with excitement as Kahlan undid the strings of her dress and let it slide down her body to the ground. She stopped out, picked it up and hooked it carefully over the low branch nearby. Taking a step to the very edge of the water, she kicked off her slippers and dove into the warm water.

Shivering at the thought of the warm water caressing her skin, Richard quickly took off his clothes and boots, left them near the very edge of the opening and ran out, through the snow and jumped in behind her. He had the joy of listening to her let out a scream of surprise seconds before he hit the warmth of the water. He kept himself under the water as he turned to find her and quickly glided along until he could grab her thigh. She screamed and kicked out at him before he surfaced with a grin on his face. His feet on the bottom of the pool, Richard wrapped his arms around Kahlan and pulled her in close.

“No good camps around,” he said with a slight pout. “And far too cold.” He shivered for effect and felt every ounce of her body rub against him. It caught him off guard and he dropped his face to her neck, forgetting what he was going to say. “But this will do,” he said instead.

“Richard,” she started to protest as he nibbled on her shoulder. To cut her off, he gripped her buttocks and pulled her forward, pressing a knee between her legs as he did so. It had the right effect and she groaned. Richard grinned against her neck as soft hands reached around him, pressing them closer together.

“I missed you,” he said.

“I haven’t gone anywhere,” she breathed as he pulled back enough to kiss her.

“You know what I mean,” he said, kissing her nose before catching her lips. He missed the taste of her, the feel of her against him like this. He let his hands roam her body as they kissed, massaging across her lower back before tracing the line of her spine up to her shoulders and back down her sides. She shivered against his light touch and her hips pressed forward into his.

Hands on her hips, Richard lifted her just a little in the water and followed the curves of her legs down as she wrapped them around him. He managed down about mid calf before running back up over the tops of her thighs wishing she wasn’t pressed so close to him. As he teased the crease of her legs and hip, she rocked against him and breathed his name in a way that told him he’d hit all the right places on his travels. He moved, slowly and carefully to the edge of the pool, pausing as he moved to catch his breath from the friction that simple act caused.

They’d stopped here before, a long time ago, but Richard remember the design of the pool, on one side, the way he was heading there was a ledge for someone to sit on, low below the surface so that anyone there would be about shoulder height with the top of the water. He had plans for that ledge now.

He set her down on it, making sure, her back was pressed against the side of the natural pool and pulled back enough that he could look into her eyes. He lingered for a moment, chewing his tongue on words he wanted to say, but wanted to hold back for a couple more days. Solstice was his day, their day. To stop himself, he kissed her again, his hands running lines up and down her thighs under the water for several minutes before be moved a hand between them.

Kahlan’s hands gripped his neck tightly as he slipped his finger through her folds, teasing gently, eliciting noises he loved so much and had heard only a couple of times before. He swallowed every one of them. She broke the kiss, dropping her head back on the bank and letting out a long low moan as he hit just the right spot and lingered.

He kissed won her neck as he moved his hand and pressed his hardness into her, moving slowly and curving his back so he could move down her chest towards her breasts. He felt her hips shift, trying to move him faster, but he took hold of her hips to stop her. Instead she arched her back, bringing her nipples just up to the water’s surface. He could feel her muscles fluttering around him, the anticipation of movement and the need for him to suckle at her breasts had her on edge. If she’d asked, he would have admitted it did the same to him too.

Richard followed the line of one breast down the valley between them before sharply darting to one side to engulf the hardened bud. Kahlan gasped and pushed at his chest to move him away.

“What?”

“Sore,” she said. “I guess I’m sensitive after a month of waiting.”

Richard grinned. “Just there?” he asked, pulling back out and thrusting slowly in. Kahlan’s hips bucked against him and Richard only managed to look smug for a moment before she tightened around him.

“No,” she said teasingly as her body relaxed.

“Good,” he said, through sharp breaths of cold air. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

He pulled back again and this time started a rhythm of thrusting. Kahlan’s groans of pleasure echoed in the trees around them and he started to wonder if Zedd and Cara could hear her. He shifted his hands from her waist and cupped her breasts, remembering to avoid her nipples, before he leaned down and captured her lips.

The angle changed and he felt her tighten around him before her nails dug in at his back and she came with a muffled scream. Richard didn’t stop, his body on the edge he pushed himself a little faster until he finally let go inside her.

Their breathing lingered as mist between them for a moment before Richard pulled out.

“I love you, Kahlan.”

*

The next morning, Richard tried to catch Kahlan as she rushed out of her place against his chest and towards the trees – she didn’t quite make it, only managing the lone tree just inside their camp before she became ill. He was up quick and at her side to hold back the long locks of her hair.

“When we get to Aydindril, we’re finding someone who can tell us what’s wrong with you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You look it,” Cara said sarcastically. “Bent over emptying your stomach just screams completely healthy.” She handed Richard a water skin and walked away.

Kahlan stood up slowly and turned to face him. “Just wait until after Solstice, please?” She looked ready to cry. “I don’t want to spoil it.” Richard wrapped her in a hug and kissed her forehead with a promise to wait.

*

The crisp night air on Solstice eve was perfect for what Richard had planned. He followed Kahlan, wrapped wonderfully in layers of clothing and fur down through the streets of Aydindril from the Confessors Palace to the open square. A bonfire had been lit a few hours earlier ready for the women to burn their dream of a love and food had been set out on plates that were raised to hold a small fire underneath.

The people in front of them gathered around the fire and several small children wondered in amongst the crowd offering up little scrolls of parchment to write the names on. Kahlan had explained it to him the day before, every single and unattached woman in the city would write their name on one of these scrolls and throw it into the fire for the spirits to catch and send them someone to marry. Richard hadn’t asked, but he had started to wonder if she would write her name on one.

He stood there now, at the front of the crowd, looking around at the faces there, the people beside them had left no space between them and the confessor in their midst. He pictured this scene years ago, with confessors dotted around the people, a scroll in each hand waiting for that moment to throw it in.

To one side, Richard caught sight of several girls with scroll baskets gathered together. They turned, almost as one and looked over at them and Richard started to guess at which of them would offer Kahlan a scroll. They turned back to their huddle as a very small girl passed them and stopped in front of Kahlan.

“Would you like a scroll, Mother Confessor?”

“No, thank you,” Kahlan said and the girl moved on to the next woman.

Richard leaned in. “No scroll for you?” He asked, letting his gloved hands rest on her hips.

“Traditionally, the Mother Confessor would already have her mate.”

“But you don’t.”

“Don’t I?” He could hear the tease in her words and laughed.

“So what now?”

“In a few minutes, every woman here will offer a prayer for their future, married or not, and then those with scrolls will throw them in.”

“Okay,” he said. Then moved passed her and over to the now larger group of girls. “Will there be parchment left over?” he asked. The girls nodded.

“There always is,” the oldest said.

“Would you like to help me with something? A special message for the Mother confessor, before the prayer?” They nodded, excited by the idea and Richard picked up a few of the scrolls and took the quill off the oldest girl. He worked fast, aware that his time was short and wrote out his message on the scrolls, catching other girls to join in and explaining his plan to all of them. When he was done, he led them back to stand in a line in front of Kahlan and handed them each one of the scrolls.

“What are you doing?” she asked, half amused and somewhat worried as Cara stepped up next to Kahlan. Richard noticed, though said nothing, that she held a crumpled scroll in her fist.

“Just a little surprise for you.” Was all he said. Before turning to his chorus of children. “Are you ready ladies?” he said and they nodded. He moved around to stand behind them and with a grin in Kahlan’s direction said simply “Now.”

The girls unrolled their scrolls to spell out the words, “Will you marry me.”

Kahlan laughed but it quickly degraded into a sob of joy and she had to swallow several times before she could answers with a loud “yes”.

The crowd around them cheered as the girls, one by one, threw the scrolls into the fire. Richard moved between them and wrapped Kahlan in his arms and kissed her.

The prayer had started before they parted and Kahlan quickly joined in. Richard looked around at the crowd of people, those who had girls had hold of them and it was a moment before Richard realised Kahlan had taken Cara’s hand. As it finished, the women threw their scrolls into the fire and Richard and Kahlan watched in amusement as Cara quickly lobbed hers in trying hard not to be noticed. A cheer went up again and Kahlan let go of Cara to take hold of him.

“About the last couple of weeks,” she said as people moved towards the food tables. “I haven’t been ill, there’s a reason behind all of it. Richard,” she paused to lick her lips. “I’m pregnant.”

Richard couldn’t help himself, he pulled her in so tight he felt as though she was melting into him, or him into her. He’d been so worried for her, afraid she’d become worse on the travel and with the winter snow.

“I just wanted to wait until now to tell you,” she said, and he knew she was crying. “Happy Solstice, Richard.”


End file.
